Modeling the effect of time and temperature on respiration rate of pomegranate arils (cv. ‘‘Acco’’ and ‘‘Herskawitz’’)

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Article

Abstract: Understanding the effect of time and temperature on the respiration rate (RR) of fresh-cut produce, towards
the design of a suitable modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) system, requires an adequate mathematical model for
prediction of RR as a function of both time and temperature. This study investigated the effect of temperature (5, 10, and
15 ◦C) and storage time (1 to 5 d) on the RR (RO2 and RCO2 ) of 2 pomegranate cultivars (cv. ‘‘Acco’’ and ‘‘Herskawitz’’)
fresh arils. RO2 and RCO2 were 3 to 4 folds significantly higher with increased temperature from 5 to 15 ◦C and were
within the range of 2.51 to 7.59 mL/kg h and 2.72 to 9.01 mL/kg h, respectively, for both cultivars. At 15 ◦C RCO2
increased significantly from 8.4 to 25.96 mL/kg h from day 1 to 5, respectively, while at 5 ◦C RCO2 changed from 2.9 to
2.05 mL/kg h from day 1 to 5. Temperature had the greatest influence on RR and the interaction of time and temperature
also significantly affected RO2 and RCO2 . The respiratory quotient (RQ) estimated by linear regression was 0.98 at 95%
significant level. The dependence of RR on temperature and time was accurately described with a combination of an
Arrhenius-type and power equation model for RO2 and RCO2 of fresh pomegranate arils.